Delhi blast: 15 doctors at Al Falah University are missing, say investigators
Probe in full swing; police prepare a detailed list of each vehicle which entered the parking area where the exploded car was stationed for three hours
In a bid to piece together the precise sequence of events before the blast near Red Fort, the investigators have prepared a detailed list of each vehicle that entered the nearby parking area where the exploded car was stationed for three hours, an official said on Saturday (November 15).
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They are tracking down the registration numbers of these vehicles and questioning their drivers and owners to see if they have noticed the Haryana-registered Hyundai i20 involved in the explosion.
The objective is to reconstruct precisely what happened during those three hours and to verify if the explosive device was planted inside the car at the parking lot. The agencies are also probing whether the arrested doctor, Dr Muzammil Ganaie, had regular contact with a group of doctors associated with Al Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad district.
Investigators also say as many as 15 doctors associated with Al Falah University in Haryana's Faridabad district and known to be in touch with Dr Muzammil are currently untraceable.
"Call detail records showed multiple conversations between Dr Muzammil and several doctors. When the agencies attempted to contact them, their phones were found to be switched off. A team sent to Al Falah University for questioning found that most of them were missing," a source said.
The officers are now investigating to determine whether these missing individuals have any role in the planning or logistics of the alleged terror plot.
New FIR is registered
The Delhi Police Special Cell has also registered a separate FIR under sections pertaining to criminal conspiracy to investigate the underlying motives behind the blast. The earlier FIR under Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) was transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA).
Sources said several vehicles were stationed nearby when Dr Umar Nabi, who was behind the wheel of the exploded car, parked it in the parking lot on November 10.
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"Every driver who was present there around that time was traced to determine whether they saw the HR-26 car, how many people were inside it, and whether anyone else was accompanying Umar," a source said.
Investigators showed Umar's photograph to the drivers in a bid to verify whether he was alone in the car or if anyone else had entered or exited the vehicle during the three hours he remained inside the parking area, an official said.
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On November 10, agencies busted a "white collar terror module" spanning Jammu and Kashmir, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh and seized 2,900 kilograms of explosives, and arrested eight people, including three doctors. Hours later, a high-intensity explosion ripped through a slow-moving car near Delhi's Red Fort metro station, killing 13 people and injuring several others.